Private Health Insurance

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider the means by which payments through private insurance schemes can be made to cover hospital treatment in the National Health Service.

People who are covered by private health insurance have several choices if they need hospital treatment. They can seek free NHS treatment in the usual way, they can ask to be treated as a private patient in an NHS hospital, or they can obtain treatment in a private hospital. We have no plans to alter this.